Happy Aniversary
by LadawnTheLiar
Summary: It's Ludwig and Feliciano's aniversary, and while Feliciano is expecting it to be like all the others, Ludwig has something else planned. For DayLightDove


**So this is a prize for my sister, DayLightDove. I had her do something for me and I told he that I'd write her something if she did it. **

**This is my first attempt at something fluffy and lovey, so I'd really appreciate some feed back. Usually I'm all angsty so this is way out of my comfort zone. **

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Feliciano rolled over in the bed, his arm reaching out for the warm body that was next to him when he fell asleep. Shocked when he came upon a piece of paper, Feliciano cracked his eyes open and brought the note into his sight. A neat, curvy 'Feliciano' was written on the cover of the envelope. Shrugging to himself, Feliciano sat up in bed and opened the letter.

_'Happy anniversary'_

Feliciano gasped. Was it May 22nd already? He turned his attention back to the writing.

_' __Oh no not now  
Please not now  
I just settled into the glass half empty  
Made myself at home'_

The letter was unsigned, but it was clear that it was from Ludwig. The words made no sense and Feliciano wondered just what his boyfriend was planning. Decided to deal with it later, Feliciano stood up and made his way into the bathroom where a pile of clothes were already laid out. He carried out with his morning routine, his mind constantly on the mysterious letter.

After he was prepared, Feliciano headed down the stairs to make himself some breakfast, only to be stopped by another envelope on the refrigerator door.

The cover had orders instead of a name.

_'Feliciano, after breakfast, go out to the car.'_

The inside, though, still held the same confusing words as the first.

_'And so why now  
Please not now  
I just stopped believing in happy endings  
Harbors of my own'_

Instead of the full blown breakfast he originally planned the have, Feliciano chose to just grab a poptart since he was too eager to follow the instruction. As soon as his breakfast was eaten, he grabbed his shoes and rushed out the door. To his surprise, Ludwig's brother Gilbert was seated in the passenger side of his car.

"Gilbert? Why are you in my car?"

Gilbert just smiled and stepped out of the car, handing Feliciano an envelope as he did.

"Have fun, Feli!"

On the front were more directions, this time telling him to head to his work place, his grandfather's restaurant, which was where they first met. Opening it, he saw that it was still the same as the others.

_'But you had to come along didn't you__  
__Break down the doors, throw open windows  
Oh if you know just what a fool you have made me'_

As he read it over, Feliciano began to see a connection. Taking out all his previous notes, the Italian lined them up. Reading them in order, he realized that they sounded like a song, but it wasn't one he heard before. The lyrics had meaning to them, though. Feliciano once recalled Ludwig telling him how lonely he was before he had come into his life. His interest rising by the minute, Feliciano decided to follow the directions and head to the restaurant.

As soon as he arrived, his grandfather greeted him with an enormous hug and another letter. Romulus led Feliciano into the diner where he was seated and given a plate of pancakes.

_'I figured you wouldn't have eaten a proper breakfast, so I told your grandfather to make you something. _

_The next place I want you to go to is the place where we had our first fight, your room. I remember you getting so mad when I criticized your organizing skills. I'm glad we made up and that we hardly ever argue anymore.'_

Feliciano blushed as he remembered that day. He had finally shown Ludwig his room as a sign that he trusted him with everything. He had gotten furious when Ludwig threw his trust back with harsh words about the filth and mess on the floor. Thankfully, they had made up the next day since both of them spilled out apologies the moment they saw each other.

Feliciano finished eating the meal and turned his attention to the letter. He opened it, for once expecting the lyrics inside.

_' So what do I do with this?  
This stray Italian greyhound  
These inconvenient fireworks  
This ice-cream-covered screaming hyperactive thought' _

He almost laughed at the second line, thinking it suited him perfectly. He really was sort of like a stray that had just wandered into Ludwig's life. The happy feeling turned into one of shock at the accuracy the lyrics held. How did Ludwig find something so perfect?

Leaving the empty dishes for his grandpa, Feliciano headed up the stairs to the room he lived in before moving in with Ludwig. Unlocking the door, Feliciano was met with the sight of his older brother sprawled out on his bed.

"Lovi, what are you doing here?"

Lovino stood up and handed his brother a fifth note. He glanced at the younger and his face broke into a small smile. "Believe it or not, I'm actually helping your bastard of a boyfriend." Seeing a grin begin to form on his brother's face, Lovino hastily added, "But it isn't for him, damn it. It's for your happiness."

It was too late though. Lovino soon found himself in a tight hug with an ecstatic Feliciano practically sobbing on him.

"Oh, Lovi, I knew you cared!"

Lovino somehow managed to break out of the hold, his face painted red. "Whatever, idiot, go have fun on your fucking scavenger hunt."

Feliciano nodded fiercely as the other left the room in a huff. Glancing at his card, he settled for reading the inside first and reading the directions second.

_'God I just want to lay down  
These colors make my eyes hurt  
This feeling calls for everything that I am not'_

Putting the lines with the others, he turned his attention to the cover.

_'The restaurant holds one more important memory for us. If you remember – and knowing you, you probably do – I officially asked you to be mine over a plate of spaghetti.'_

Feliciano's face split into a grin. He remembered how happy he was and still is. It was exactly four years ago today, that they became a couple.

Rushing back downstairs, Feliciano almost plowed into Antonio, who was waiting at the bottom. The Spaniard steadied him, and with a wide grin, handed him the next piece.

"See you later, Feli! Hope you have fun!"

Feliciano ignored the man as his attention was on the next set of commands.

_'Do you remember the ice cream shop we went to on our first date? You somehow managed to get chocolate all over your face and hands, but we laughed it off and cleaned you up in the bathroom.'_

The Italian laughed at the memory, ignorant of the stares he received. That day had been amazing; it had been the first time he got Ludwig to really laugh.

_'I'm not that kind  
I'm so good at shooting down any notion  
This tired world could change  
It's all been bought_'

Slipping the papers away, Feliciano made his way back to his convertible and hopped back onto the road. Making it to the stop in less than ten minutes, he dashed out of the car and straight into the store, where he spotted Kiku sitting at a booth by the window.

"Kiku, you're part of this too! I can't believe Luddy would go through so much trouble for me!"

Kiku smiled at his friend's antics and pointed to the envelope in the center of the table. "It is right there."

The brunet waved as his friend departed and then immediately focused on the papers before him.

_'Remember that summer we went to the fair? It was our third date and you were so excited to see the fireworks that I arranged for the Ferris wheel to stop at the top? Of course, you were terrified of heights and began freaking out the moment it stopped. I kissed you, without thinking, in order to calm you down. I don't think you're afraid of heights anymore.'_

Feliciano shook his head in agreement. That event had cured one of his many fears.

_'Or at least that was my line  
No use in spending all that emotion  
When there's someone else to blame'_

Running back to his vehicle, Feliciano started the engine and took off to the fair. He was glad that their anniversary was in the warmer season because that meant that the fair was always in town. Usually they went every year to recapture past events.

The fair took longer to reach, almost twenty minutes, but Feliciano didn't mind the time at all. He barely remembered to turn off his car before he hurrying towards the Ferris wheel. As soon as the wheel was in sight, Feliciano noticed his friend Elizabeta practically bursting with excitement just before his destination. Pushing past the crowd, Feliciano made his way over to the girl and clapped his hands eagerly as she pulled out the desired item.

"You're getting closer. Just a few more stops." Her line was short, but it put butterflies in the boy's already filled stomach.

_'The evening that we confessed our love for each other was magical. The sun setting over the water added the perfect effect to an already perfect day. This is probably one of the only firsts we had that something strange didn't happen.'_

This memory brought a small smile to Feliciano's lips. The remembered how the colors from the sun had danced across the water and how the sparkles on the water reflected in Ludwig's ice blue eyes.

_'But you had to come along didn't you  
Rev up the crowd, rewrite the rule book  
Where do I go when every 'n' turns into 'maybe''_

Not surprisingly, Feliciano found himself standing on the beach straight across from Francis, a friend of Gilbert, hardly fifteen minutes later. Francis was decked out in beach attire, meaning that not only had he been there all day, but that he planned to remain even after handing over the letter.

"_L'amour_ is such a beautiful thing. I am happy to be a part of something so pure!"

It was a short conversation, much like the other ones, but Feliciano didn't care. He was already reading as he walked back to the car.

_'Do you remember my birthday a year ago? You came over to my house with a birthday cake and pasta. After eating, you led my upstairs and told me to close my eyes. That night was more wonderful that anything I had experienced. I remember it was the best present I've gotten in my life. It was the first time we made love.'_

That night was amazing, Feliciano recalled. Ludwig had been so shy but certain at the same time. Feliciano had trusted the German completely, and was glad that he did. That night brought them closer than ever before.

_'__So what do I do with this?  
This sudden burst of sunlight  
And me with my umbrella  
Cross-indexing every weatherman's report'_

The Italian soon found himself standing outside of his boyfriend's grandfather's house. Ludwig and his brother used to live under Legolas's roof until they had enough money to move out. Now, of course, he owned his own.

Feliciano didn't even have to knock on the door for it to be opened by Legolas. His features were their usual grim look, but for once it seemed as though his eyes held a twinkle. Wordlessly, the man handed over the tenth letter, and, with a nod, closed the door.

_'For the last note, I need you to return to the place this scavenger hunt began.'_

That was easy; he just needed to return home.

_'I was ready for the downslide  
But not for spring to well up  
This feeling calls for everything I can't afford  
To know  
Is possible now' _

Feliciano raced back into his car and started it back up for what seemed to be the hundredth time. In his haste to get home, Feliciano found himself driving faster than he had in his entire life – which was impressive since he usually drove about fifteen miles over the speed limit.

Reaching his house, Feliciano bolted to the door. Fumbling with his keys – and dropping them a few times – Feliciano eventually opened the door to the darkness of his house.

"Ludwig?"

Feeling the wall, he flipped on the light switch and immediately gasped. Lilies covered every square inch of the floor, wall, and even hung from the ceiling. Dazed, Feliciano found himself absentmindedly walking to the center of the room and feeling some of the flowers that were strung across the coffee table.

"Do you like it?"

Feliciano spun around to see the man responsible for the day's events. In no time at all, Ludwig had a tearful Italian hanging off of him.

"Oh, Ludwig, it's wonderful! I've never seen something so beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like it," Ludwig chuckled nervously, releasing himself from the enthusiastic brunet, "but you have one more letter to receive."

This time there was nothing on the front. Dying to see the final part of the song, Feliciano nearly destroyed the wrapping.

_'What do I do  
With a love that won't sit still  
Won't do what it's told  
What do I do  
With a love that won't sit still'_

More tears sprung to his eyes, and he carelessly wiped them away to read the rest.

_'Look down.'_

Puzzled, Feliciano looked over the paper to see Ludwig down on his knee holding out a box with a large, sapphire stone on a silver band visible against the black velvet. The paper fluttered to the ground as Feliciano's hands flew up to his mouth.

"Feliciano, you are the best thing that's happened to me. Before I met you, I didn't believe in happy endings. I followed rules to the point, but you taught me that short cuts and detours aren't so bad to experience every once in a while."

"I've never met anyone like you, and I don't think I ever will. Feliciano Vargas, will you marry me?"

Before he had even finished asking, Ludwig was engulfed in a bone crushing hug by a crying Feliciano.

"Yes! Oh, god, yes! Yes!"

Laughing out of relief and happiness, Ludwig pulled his fiancé off and slipped the ring onto the correct finger. Smiling at one another, the lovers crashed their lips together.

When the pulled away, Feliciano kissed the German's cheek and giggled, "Happy aniversary, Luddy."

"Happy aniversary, Feli."

* * *

**The song used is S_tray Italian Greyhound _by Vienna Teng.**

**May 22nd is the day that the "Pact of Steel" was made between Germany and Italy. **

**Lilies aren't the national flower of Italy, but it is a coat of arms.**

**Sapphires mean "calmness, constancy, contemplation, hope, innocence, purity, truth, and virtue"** **They are believed to bring the wearer comfort, courage, and strength, while pacifying anger, protecting from danger, and fostering constancy in love. I thought it went well with their relationship, and that the meaning sounded like italy. **


End file.
